In view of the indecisive outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg 2002 with respect to Renewable Energy, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder invited all the stakeholders to come to Bonn in 2004 for an International Renewable Energy Conference. This conference was well prepared in a series of regional conferences and by an international steering committee to become the successful Renewables 2004.

The Bonn Renewables 2004 increased the global political momentum in favour of Renewable Energy. In order to keep the momentum and expand it to developing countries, the Chinese Government agreed to host the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference in 2005, BIREC 2005, equally successful.

In the spirit of Bonn and Beijing, the United States has announced that it will host the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference 2008, the third global Ministerial-level event on renewable energy. WIREC 2008 will be held in Washington DC, March 4-6, 2008.

Recommended Reading:

The Promise of Renewable Energy, speech delivered by REN21 Chair Mohamed El-Ashry to the ACORE policy conference in Washington, November 29, 2007. The speech draws the line from Johannesburg 2002 to Washington 2008.